USA Today: President Obama announced a new military strategy on Thursday that will cut the Pentagon budget by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade.

Speaking from the Pentagon, Obama said the plan is “smart, strategic” and sets priorities.

…. The new military strategy includes $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. An additional $500 billion in cuts could be coming if Congress follows through on plans for deeper reductions. The announcement comes weeks after the U.S. officially ended the Iraq War and after a decade of increased defense spending in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Dana Milbank: If this is Mitt Romney’s idea of a victory rally, one shudders to think what would have happened if he had lost the Iowa caucuses. The day after his impossibly thin eight-vote victory …. he flew here for a town hall meeting at Manchester Central High School, where he was to bask in the endorsement of his 2008 arch rival, John McCain.

But the senator grimaced when he was introduced, and as Romney delivered his own stump speech, an increasingly impatient McCain pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch. McCain gave his endorsement address without mentioning Romney’s Iowa win until the end. “By the way, we forgot to congratulate him on his landslide victory last night,” he said, laughing. Romney ignored him.

….. Romney continued to wrestle with words when he took the stage … “What a, uh, big night we had last night, or what a big morning we had, uh, last morning, this morning, in, uh, Iowa,” he began…..

Washington Monthly: What If Obama Loses? … there’s a widespread assumption that extreme positions taken in the (GOP) primaries will fade in the general election as candidates “move to the center,” and will disappear entirely once the serious business of governing begins. Surely President Newt Gingrich would not get rid of child labor laws. Surely President Perry would not seek to eliminate three cabinet departments.

We don’t think that this year, with this GOP, those assumptions are warranted. And so we asked a distinguished group of reporters and scholars to think through the hitherto unthinkable: What if one of these people actually wins?

I guess Megyn’s confused. Isn’t PBO supposed to be “weak” in Fox pundit eyes? So now he’s been promoted to a monarch, that means he’s not only a leader, but a powerful one. If the administration’s regulatory agencies actually do their jobs and the president does not bow down before the whims of the minority rump of the US Senate, then he’s a king. Is this what passes for thinking among Fox talking heads?

The first time I saw Megyn Kelly was on one of twelve tv monitors in the local gym. The sound is always muted in the noisy gym, so I’ve never heard her voice, but I took an immediate, visceral dislike to the little snit the moment I glanced up at her (even before I realized it was Fox). She has got a real “mean girl” look that brings me back to all the little know-it-alls I ever encounted in elementary school.

or a scary socialist or a crony capitalist—–this Obama fella has them really perplexed—–they don’t hang with such splendid, smart, deep thinkers like our President Obama—–so they are unfamiliar and very confused.

I have lost all respect for Al Gore. If anyone should understand what Obama’s up against, it’s him. An honest disagreement, a reasonable discussion about actions and policies, fine. But Al Gore has lost his freakin’ mind, hiring this bastard who would destroy this country.

I sent Al Gore an e-mail about this, maybe if more people did he’d understand just how these decisions to stick with shallow, hateful, uninformed assholes like Cenk hurt not just his network, but his credibility and position as a respected Democrat – except of course he no longer cares to be that!!! Who knows with these people!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!! I thought they were pissed off BECAUSE President Obama didn’t recess appoint Richard Cordray, now they’re bitching that he did appoint Cordray and now that Cordray might be tied to big banks??

I swear I find more and more reasons to despise HuffnFluff every day!!!!

It’s such a bloody shame to see how far into the gutter Huff Po has fallen. Arianna, always the troll for money sold her and her blogs credibility a while back. Ever since AOL bought that clap trap, they’ve turned into bottom feeders. I hear the CEO of AOL donated the max to the Romney campaign so no wonder Arianna and Howard Fineman who’s head of digital content or whatever allow such trash to filter through to the mainstream. Stay classy Arianna.

Agree Donna. Arianna jumped on the anti-Bush wagon (when it was safe) so she could earn some creds and make a LOT of money. Although she has never been sincere, the election of PBO caused her brain synapses to explode and her site’s been swirling in venom every since. In 2010, I made the decision to stay away from toxic sites for the good of my blood pressure and the preservation of my sanity and I have not looked back. I won’t even check out the fashions on her site. The whole place wreaks with poison.

I don’t understand why you all keep reading her DIATRIBE if you can’t stand it. Why not just relieve yourself of the AGONY and not go there? Just a thought. Arianna Huffington is a Rethug in disguise like all the Emoleft pundits and journalist. They will never change. When they get their shiney white night in the Whitehouse then they will be full of glee and joy. Of course they won’t get their chance until 2017.😉 Obama/Biden 2012

I’m with you, Keith. Every once in awhile I’ll get sent there by a link to an article that doesn’t name the source. I usually look at their article titles for grins before I leave — it’s The Enquirer of the Internet. A silly, ugly place. I leave without reading the linked to article, glad not to be drawn to read anything at all.

Keith, I used to spend an inordinate amount of time in the lead-up to the 2008 elections and after on that site, but as soon as it started going the way of sensatonal bacchanalian writings, misleading headlines, distortions, unclassiness and distasteful vile rhetoric,I departed pronto! I am proud to say that once I made the decision, I never looked back. And I mean never. It’s more than about 18 months now.

I couldn’t stop laughing in disbelief. I called them a bunch of koch snorting tea baggers and did a huge rant against them. I said I didn’t care if they posted my comment or not as I wanted the moderators to also know what I thought about their useless bs.

(quote) One year from the 2012 election and with the House in play, the DCCC today launched a new, aggressive paid and grassroots “Drive for 25” radio campaign to hold 25 targeted Republicans accountable for protecting special interests instead of the middle class and for the ethics issues that plague an increasing number of House Republicans. The radio ads begin airing on Monday. As part of the DCCC’s “Drive for 25” campaign to win the House, the DCCC’s campaign will also include phone banks, web advertising, and live and automated calls.

Three recent polls show voters prefer to elect Democrats to Congress in 2012 over Republicans in a generic ballot. Democrats have more than 60 top notch candidates running in priority districts and more candidates will be announcing in the weeks ahead…..(endquote)

Oops.
Thanks!
Read it and all I could think was how it confirmed the image I already have of Flip Romney. Something is “off” with that guy.
I’m not one who expects candidates to be hip and cool enough to have a beer with but the guy comes off as fake and insincere.

He is simply the epitome of a slick salesman without a heart, but with plenty swashbuckle, stale jokes, unfunny quips to cover for his inadequacies and insecurities. He has money and he knows that counts,but money can’t buy class or breeding or even an election. He has also internalised that image is what the public seems to get bamboozled with, so why not give them the image that they can identify with,rather than the one that got away in ‘their’ White House. As simple and as complex as that!

On last night’s Colbert Report, Stephen congratulated his colleagues in cable news for their coverage of the 2012 Iowa caucus results. He saluted the Fox News team’s willingness to soldier on in spite of the loss of all “basic mental functions” like speech and the ability to operate a calculator.

One moment to brag, please.
I just figured how to save pictures on my iPad. Now when I come here, I can save the wonderful pictures of my president posted here and put them on my slideshow, lock screen and home page. So convenient for me. I love it!

I just need to find the one of the president in the rain. That one is gorgeous.

Cordray could be a force in Dem politics – he could run for Ohio senate in 2016, run for Ohio Gov in 2014 and from there he could potentially look at the White House. He’s only 53, he could turn into a real player for us going forward. Or he could be a SCOTUS nomination.

Good thoughts, saintroscoe. I see President Obama doing so much for the Democratic Party, building structure and innovative ways to campaign. He got Elizabeth Warren involved in a high profile way that supported her entry in the Senate. I appreciate the heads up about Cordray. I didn’t realize that about him.

I love how people are trying to change what the constituti­on saying, that to be president you have to have both parents born in America or have both parents be US citizens becasue that is what the founding fathers intended. If that is so then why didn’t they stop these guys when running or being president.­…

Thomas Jefferson‘­­s mother was born in England
Andrew Jackson‘s parents were both born in Ireland
James Buchanan had an Irish father
Chester A. Arthur had an Irish father
Woodrow Wilson‘s mother was English
Herbert Hoover had a Canadian-b­­orn mother

Yes George Romney was the Gov of my State of Michigan. Mitt was born in Detroit. George was a moderate republican and fought for Civil Rights and marched with MLK one time.
That was before the GOP became the home of the Dixiecrats.

PROHIBITING THE TRANSFER OR RELEASE OF GUANTANAMO DETAINEES TO OR WITHIN THE
UNITED STATES.

Why aren’t occupiers occupying the Senator’s officers every single day who wrote this odious piece of crap? I think anyone who has watched MTV Cribs is well aware of wealth inequality. That awareness is sufficiently raised. How about starting to mic check and make famous the members of congress, Democratic and Republican, who foist this kind of crap on this country?

Remember early in the Obama Administration when some gob went on Fox News and said that the military would have to intervene and basically tell PBO what was what? Seeing all that brass standing behind the President makes me think that, yes, everyone knows what is what, and it wasn’t the military that was in the director’s chair.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised President Obama’s leadership and guidance on the Pentagon’s new military strategy Thursday.

“In my experience this has been an unprecedented process, to have the president of the United States participate in discussions involving the development of a defense strategy,” Panetta said at a press briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Yes and they know it. I think it was MSNBC which kept emphasizing how unusual and a rarity it is to have a president showing up at the pentagon. They couldn’t remember any other president being in that press room. The press was full of shock by the president’s presence. LOL

I think the writer is correct. These folks will not move back to center. Why should they? If the President loses I assume that other extremists will be elected to Congress. What would stand in their way? We have a Tea Partyist mayor who was just elected. She is not backing off; in fact she is being more extreme. This election is not something to play around with.

I disagree – more people need to think about what happens the day after the inauguration. If a Republican is in the Oval Office, we’ve already heard Mitt talking about repealing Obamacare(s) on Day One (even though he can’t). We’ve heard Santorum say that on Day One, he will immediately end the Iran nuclear threat – only way he does that is to strike without thinking or planning. We know that there are just enough Blue Dogs and other weak Democrats who will never stand up and obstruct the GOP agenda, since they keep uniting with them to stab President Obama in the back (Gitmo, Iran sanctions).

We’ve also seen what the Republicans are willing to do, in the face of extreme protest by the American people. Take Wisconsin, and how they keep saying their acting on the will of the American people, except the ones who are protesting to tell them not to do what they’re doing. Those people are dirty and lazy and should get a job, take a bath, etc. They’ve called First Responders and public workers “lazy parasites”. They are now threatening to raise taxes on the 160 million working Americans, to teach President Obama a lesson for having the audacity to think he was President (Leader of the Free World) by “defying the Republicans” – effectively, shooting the hostage in the leg or chopping off his finger and sending it back in an envelope.

Isonprize, hear,hear. Apart from the fact that the Prez will be fine, and everyone around the world will want him for some reason or other-a true President of the World, the most unfortunate part will be that the American people will be screwed, as well as global world!
Nah, let’s move forward,and NOT spread that around,thanks.

Triply hear, hear!!! No gloom and doom what if’s for me!!! Moving right on forward with spreading all the great things this great president has done inspite of the unprecedented obstruction from every direction!!! I refuse to plant seeds of fear and doubt that will only serve to immobilize!!!

President Obama deserves a second term NOT because the alternaive will be worse, but because this President has been PHENOMENAL!!!

PBO looks like a true leader….leading the military, not like the GOP waiting for the military to TELL them what to do! They have their nerve saying PBO leads from behind when that’s what GWB did for eight years. The neocons ran everything and told Bush what to do.

PBO is an absolutely OUTSTANDING leader. Brilliant, knowledgeable, courageous, visionnary. He listens to advice but is able to ask the difficult questions and question old paradigms.

That may sound like hyperbole, but if we take into account the complexity of his job in the 21th century, the damage left by his predecessor, the numerous crisis he has had to confront both in domestic and foreign policy, and the toxic political environment he has to deal with, I think Barack Obama is the best president ever in the history of the USA. Or at least he’s right there with Lincoln and FDR.

No hyperbole – just facts. I wholeheartedly agree! I keep saying that if he’s not re-elected, then I’ll go back to Canada. But, the truth is, there is nowhere in the world where the consequences of US decisions doesn’t touch. The world isn’t safe with the GOP at the helm. They’re entirely dangerous, and I’m not being overly dramatic. If they can treat their citizens and their President with such disrespect, and they basically spit on any other country, then there is no safe harbor.

President Obama isn’t just the better option. He’s an excellent President, and the product of his good work ripples through out the world. Look at the way that the GOP-equivalent in Australia even called him the President of the World, and the way people just seem more hopeful and happy when he’s around – all over the world, including world leaders (at least, the ones who aren’t being deposed for dictatorship). He is a good influence. And the world is lucky to have him.

The GOP knee jerk reaction to be against everything that President Obama is for continues to bite them in the arse. Since President Obama is always on the right side of the issues, they just look unhinged and out of touch with the American people. So what’s it going to be Mitt Romney? Protect the predatory lenders or protect the middle class? Ok, we’ll put you down for protect the predatory lenders. Check.

=====================================================

When Mitt Romney blasted the president for “Chicago-style politics at its worst,” it offered Obama for America Press Secretary Ben LaBolt the opportunity to say exactly what he wanted to say: “By opposing the appointment of Richard Cordray to run the first-ever consumer watchdog bureau, Mitt Romney today stood with predatory lenders and Republicans in Congress over the middle class. He doubled down on his promise to eliminate the Wall Street watchdog and allow Wall Street to write its own rules again, leaving consumers vulnerable to hidden fees, financial traps and excessive risk taking that will hit their pocketbooks. Governor Romney has made clear he has not learned the lessons of the economic crisis, instead, he’s giving the most irresponsible financial actors a bright green light to pursue profit at any cost to communities across America.”

Romney is such a bloody idiot. That was such a dumb trap to walk into. He claims that he alone wants to look out for the middle and working class. The fuck you say? Then why would he be opposed to the CFPB which looks out for said middle and working class? Then adding that insulting “Chicago style politics” as code for gangster politics was just low. I’m going to enjoy PBO mopping the floor with this sorry SOB come Nov. 6, 2012.

The article below is about Willard criticizing President Obama for his recess appointments to the NRLB. The article is the usual swill that Willard spouts. But the best part is the picture of Willard and McCain at that pathetic town hall yesterday. Check out the photo and let me know what your caption would be for John McCain.

I think I’m going to go with “YOU FILP FLOPPING LIAR, I HATE YOU”. I’m only doing this because I hate President Obama and Rick Santorun more than I hate you. Get the lead out. I got some clouds I need to yell at. And by the way get off my lawn.

You see for me my revenge was to stop watching him. I turned him off in 2009 and only for the one exception the day that Gabby was shot I haven’t look back. Once they lose enough of our viewership they come back down to earth. Keith is an egomaniac and he has had “issues” everywhere he has worked. You would think that at some point he would look at himself and understand that his pompus, self righeouness may be character flaws but that will never happen because no matter where he lands he will continue to have his following blowing his already big head up even bigger.

Ste-riiiike four! (for those keeping score) I think he should get out of TV, off of Twitter, and just stick to writing occasional sports columns. Being a media centerpiece obviously hasn’t worked out for him.

Why no one on our side should be afraid of Mittens. The closing graf from Sully’s piece:

This is a very weak candidate. Some believe that he has had trouble getting past 25 percent outside New Hampshire because of his flip-floppery or moderation. I suspect many Republican voters just realize he is their John Kerry. Because he is. Without the ideological consistency.

I still don’t understand why Sully would gush about Ron Paul. Given his LBGT stance with the Obama Administration how does he reconcile his praise of Ron Paul. The same goes for Rachel Maddow. I just don’t get it.

I’m with you Anita, very puzzled about all of this – Rachel has been very unforgiving about PBO’s personal views on gay marriage, even though he is now working towards ending DOMA (not to mention all the other things he’s done, including ending DADT). But Ron Paul is cool, despite being a complete homophobe? Bizarre.

Michael Moore is a hypocrite and a damn profiteering liar. A big phony who has suckers regurgitating his ugly spiel. He says it “doesn’t do any good to vote”..they’ve “tried that”. Stupid pompous creep.

That dismal looking and unappealing “hippie” photo of Michael Moore, obviously taken when he was much younger, does him much too much justice based on the sloppy- looking, overbearing charlatan that he is today.

McCain will lose whatever credibility he had left after he finishes playing Romney’s attack dog. Especially since there is so much evidence of him saying the same thing about Romney that Newt is now saying. What a douche.

When it comes to Mitt Romney’s background at Bain Capital, we tend to think about the layoffs in the abstract. Romney orchestrated leveraged buyouts, flipping companies quickly for large profits, at the expense of thousands of workers who were considered collateral damage.

But the story has a greater impact when we shift away from the thousands and towards the individual victims. Randy Johnson, for example, who lost his job in the ’90s when Romney took over American Pad & Paper (Ampad), has been an active critic of the Republican. Johnson told reporters this week, “I really feel that he didn’t care about the workers. It was all about profit over people.”

But Johnson isn’t the only one. MoveOn.org released a new ad this morning featuring steel worker and Army veteran Donny Box, who lost his job of 32 years at Kansas City’s GST after Romney’s firm took it over.

George Will has struggled for quite some time when dealing with climate policy, but his latest piece, arguing that global warming is part of an elaborate collectivist plot, is really out there.

Because progressivism exists to justify a few people bossing around most people and because progressives believe that only government’s energy should flow unimpeded, they crave energy scarcities as an excuse for rationing — by them — that produces ever-more-minute government supervision of Americans’ behavior. […]

An all-purpose rationale for rationing in its many permutations has been the progressives’ preferred apocalypse, the fear of climate change.

She’s a great spokesperson as well. She was so consistent and on message on the Chris Hayes show on caucus night that Chris shut her off. He mumbled something about he had to end her interview there was new numbers to report. There was no update. It was after 1 am and he went on to report the same numbers of Santorum up by 4.

GM has fixed the chevy Volt battery problems.
It recommends, that if you own a Volt, return it to a Dealer, and they will repair the problem.
NHTSA says the corrections GM has made, will correct the problem!

This is no longer your father’s Republican Party — and if the nomination contest does resemble in many ways its predecessors, with an obvious heir apparent, Romney, trying to fend off the anti-establishment forces just like Ford in 1976, Bush in 1988 and McCain in 2008, it also has a very different tone and coloration that may have interesting implications for the fall. The fact is that the dinosaur moderate Republican wing of the party has no home right now. Obama will make a pitch for them by emphasizing the rogue, insurgent right-wing elements of their party that create litmus tests on taxes, climate change and immigration that are anathema to moderates. The Republican nominee will try to call on their tribal instincts and inclination to still identify with their team. And Americans Elect, the organization with anonymous donors that could put an as-yet-unidentified candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, will try to serve as a spoiler and lure them away from both parties.

Jan. 19 fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in Harlem with President Obama: “The event, benefiting the DNC-Obama re-elect “Victory Fund,” will feature performances from Al Green and India.Arie, according to the invitation.”

This is great news, but we were told that the stars and Hollywood were abandoning PBO. I think I saw somthing on the previous thread where PBO’s friend Hill Harper is also throwing a fundraising party.

Good. I want him, Santorum, and Gingrich to keep raising money and bloody the crap out of Romney. I want them to keep poking at him over and over again. The longer this clown car race goes, the better for the electorate.

Cenk and the PL really, really, really wanted to create a narrative out of Iowa that Obama was weakened. I really believe they’ve overestimated their impact. Most Democrats like Obama and will vote for him no matter what come 2012.

But because they all kind of operate inside a vacuum of sorts, they don’t get that message – they don’t hear it. They only hear the same yapping people over and over again who continually show their displeasure with the president.

Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for the president), they’re just a very vocal minority. No different than the guy who grabs the bullhorn and stands in the middle of a crowded town square yelling away. Just because he’s the loudest opinion you hear doesn’t mean what he’s saying is a majority.

It isn’t.

So, they overshot their grounds here. I have no doubt Cenk really thought this movement could pull in 10-20-30% support and they could point to it as proof they’re right and, well, we’re all wrong – a huge number of Democrats just don’t like Obama!

I also use to peek at KO everyday 57and Female just to see what he was saying, and to see the worst persons segment. I could no longer take the OWS obsession, therefore I took his show off my dvr. It was to much for me. He had Michael Moore on way to much for me also.

You know what angers me? The fact that Al Gore, who suffered the effects of “Naderism” , is giving a platform to PLers who are playing the same game of constantly attacking the democratic candidate for 2012. Gore is giving the best time slots to the PL. He should know better. But yeah,,,, it’s always about money and ratings…

Strange that the media people even outside big corporate MSM just aim for the vocal hard left. President Obama has a very high approval rate among liberals and moderate democrats so there is a huge potential of viewership that could be tapped into with some programming featuring pragmatic democrats. Just look at the success of Reverend Al…

Very well said, Irishman! I really feel the more we add our calm, enthusiastic, Obama-supporting voice into the mix, the more we are heard. United we stand. Obama/Biden 2012!! House majority!!! Speaker Nancy Pelosi!! More Democrats than ever in the Senate! Fired up, ready to go!!!

Agreed. Too many angry leftists getting airtime to trash the administration. It’s why I loved MSNBC having on Debbie Wasserman Schultz during the caucus. She’s a great Obama surrogate, which is funny, because she was a huge Clinton supporter in the primaries!

I AM SO PROUD OF OUR DUTIFUL PRESIDENT. LOOK AT HIM IN THE PENTAGON WITH ALL THE TOP BRASS (GENERALS AND ADMIRALS) FLANKING HIM ON EITHER SIDE. HOW POWERFUL AND MAJESTIC. WE MUST RE-ELECT THIS MAN FOLKS. YES WE CAN!! CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO OUR BUCKEYE RICHARD CORDRAY AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO HEAD THE CFPB. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE YEAR MR. PRESIDENT.😀 KEEP HOPE ALIVE!! OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

I have been loving Martin Bashir program, but today he allowed our bud, Buddy Roemer, to screech at President Obama about all the money in our political campaigns. I agree that spending in our campaigns is out of control—-I wish our campaigns lasted a couple months and everyone got the same few thousand dollars to make their case. But——what does Roemer want President Obama to do, given the present state, the horrible Citizens United ruling etc.? Just refuse all funds and allow opponents to make every false charge against him with no means to respond, or to spread the truth about his policies and record? Bashir allowed Roemer to go on and on with no reasonable challenge, inserting no reality into Roemer’s loud complaints.

The thing with Citizens United is that the GOP 3rd party groups outspent Dem 3rd party groups upwards of 7-to-1, so there is no way the GOP in Congress will ever move to over turn it now. The only chance we have to over turn it would be for the Dems to beat the GOP in 3rd party money or at least fight to a draw – then the GOP might be open to campaign finance reform.

That will never happen SR. We will just have to out hustle them on the ground. The Rethugs have Corporate America in their back pocket so they will always have a huge advantage with outside PAC monies. It is what it is.

Yeah – I think the Republicans need to see more of the Santorum-Romney type of number crunching, where Santorum spent pennies for every $150 spent by Romney to effectively buy votes. They will learn eventually that the community organizing approach actually makes a difference. Look at what happened to Meg Whitman, who wanted to be governor of California and spent a billion of her own money – only to lose spectacularly. An informed electorate can’t be bought.

I haven’t even read the comments on this post. I feel compel though to share how funny I find this Dana Milbank piece. I read it as a comedy. I’m starting to doubt the inevitability of Willard being the nominee more and more. I don’t think that he will be able to handle scrutiny or criticism in front of the public. If he’s the one standing after all the others have been voted off the island; it’s a matter of when not if when he has his “that one” moment.

BTW: Happy New Year TOD! It’s going to be a great year. I can feel it. Oh yeah…

Yeah. Then there’s the moronic piece by Nicholas Kristof (and he is not a moron and should know better) that Romney has a moderate soul and would revert to that moderate soul if elected.

Holy, shit, Nick. Romney has no soul, no moral compass, no compassion. He will do what the tea party tells him to do. To me, he is worse than Santorum or Gingrich. I actually think Gingrich would have a moment of, “Oh, shit, what have I done?” before he bombed Iran. Romney wouldn’t give it a second thought.

That article says everything about Kristof and nothing about Romney. That’s not the only moronic piece I read of his. Awhile back he some disingenuous aritlce about President Obama’s base deserting him.

“A moderate”? mittoinette kochead? Freakin’ Kristof needs to wake the fuck up and buy a clue.

The unemployment rate is expected to have edged up to 8.7 percent last month, from 8.6 percent in November, as some Americans who had given up their search for work were lured back into the market, according to a Reuters survey.

“China, Iran’s biggest trade partner, has already cut its purchases of Iranian oil by more than half this month and will extend the cuts to February, a Beijing-based trader who deals with Iranian oil said.

Japan will consider cutbacks in its Iranian oil purchases to secure a waiver from new U.S. sanctions signed into law on New Year’s Eve by President Barack Obama, a government source said.

Between them, China, the EU and Japan buy about half of Iran’s exports of 2.6 million barrels of oil per day.

International sanctions that for years had little effect are for the first time having a real impact on day-to-day life in Iran, where the rial currency has tumbled and people have rushed to convert savings into dollars.”

EVERYONE needs to read the Washington Monthly pieces on “What if Obama loses” and the Jonathan Bernstein article.

Send this to every alleged progressive you know (including Michael Moore and his other idiotic cohorts).

My new mantra: it’s okay to vote because the other guys are bad, even if MLK or Bobbie Kennedy aren’t our candidates. It’s desperately important to vote AGAINST the most dangerous Republican party in history. It’s noble, it wins elections, it moves us in the right direction.

Republicans NEVER stay home — they vote their hate, no matter how unattractive their candidates are. It’s how they changed America over the last 30 years.

To not vote in this election is tantamount to treason, because you will have helped destroy the country. Even if I bought into Obama’s alleged flaws (and you guys know that I don’t), voting against this dangerous Republican party is critical.

Thanks 57. It was suggested by Blackwaterdog to make this article viral. I guess you all are saying fear motivates? If that’s what it takes to GOTV so be it. Personally I will use my energies on helping to re-elect President Obama.

I hope we can all follow a tradition of using the blog to encourage folks to join OFA. We also need to share stories of what we are doing. OFA is a wonderful organization and the folks who participate share my values and are fun to hang out with.

Last night we had a 4 hour meeting at my house. We planned our January events – 2 phone banks to folks in Nevada, a voter registration on MLK day, 1-2 folks attending the Nevada Caucus in the Reno area and then a SOTU watch party / potluck held at our leaders house on 1/24.

Damn, with the Pro Left, it’s getting to be like shooting fish in a barrel. I almost feel bad for them, until I remember that they are sabotaging the best American president in my lifetime with their bogus memes.

Nuts—–I thought I might finally be successful at being able to repost a tweet—–but I flunk again, head hangs low.
Anyhoo—-I thought this was interesting news—–Obama admin. continuing to tread and forge partnerships where no former Dems dared tread. I like that the PGA is joining Solis for the summer job summit—–looking for caddies and other golf course employees—–opportunities for young people.

OMIGOSH, you guys, I did it! I did it!!!! I am not a tweet dummy after all!!! I think I deserve a raise for this great accomplishment. And by the way, it never worked by clicking on the time stamp but by clicking on “details”. I am a genius!!!! And innovative!!! Right everybody?

Yay Me! “I be proud of me.” (what my daughter used to say when she did somethin’ good) Thanks everyone for celebrating this huge enormous Pulitzer Prize winning feat with me!!! With this Big Win under my belt, I can coast for days. 🙂

Gosh Isonprize, you are on my page today. I have been giving Andrew Sullivan a perched eyebrow for a little while now, just a quick scroll now through his blog, as opposed to before, plus his Ron Paul fascination/endorsement really hasn’t sat well with me at all! Additionally, why doesn’t he just write his column? Why does he need to constantly refer to pundits argument all through HIS blog? I feel like I am not reading his thoughts on his blog (am I making sense?) I almost feel it’s young Conor what’s his face that chooses his material.

As above – Keith? Please read the ‘house rules’ from last night, no personal attacks on other people here PLEASE. I’ve deleted several by you on Jovie in the last couple of weeks. Leave the moderating to me, thanks.

Okay Jovie and thanks Chips. I have read the rules again. I guess we all have different personalites in our TOD family. I just have to tolerate the more “shock value” type of posts in our threads/blogs. It is all good. We are all on the same team and wanting the same results. I respect the work you are doing down there in Florida Jovie just as you have complimented me on my work here in Ohio. What it all boils down to is………….YES WE CAN AGAIN!! Keep Hope Alive!! Obama/Biden 2012

LITTLETON, NH — After being battered in the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich pledged to go about “defining Romney out of the mainstream of the Republican party.” In New Hampshire on Thursday, he began to demonstrate just what that meant.

At a senior center in Plymouth, Gingrich’s debuted an extended riff bashing “Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney” for straying from conservative principles as governor.

Among the ills Gingrich cited: Romney “appointed liberal judges to appease Democrats” and “put Planned Parenthood in Romneycare by name.”

The only thing I worry about with Newt’s attacks is that he will use all the best material, and the media will tell everyone to ignore all the facts, because it’s all coming from a jaded person, leaving Romney free to skate past his past.

I think it’s the wrong state for these attacks. NH is his home state and they will rally around him no matter what is said about him. These attacks should have been used in Iowa or saved for S.Carolina and beyond. Newt is wasting money going after Romney in NH – just use the nationally televised debates to do it, and save the newspaper ad money for S.Carolina.

Plus, given that Orly Taitz is already on the ground trying to have President Obama removed from the ballot, I’d think she’d be crowing by now if the President wasn’t on the ballot. She just filed yesterday for an investigation into President Obama’s legitimacy to be on the ballot.

Today the White House released a statement confirming what CNN’s Rachel Streitfeld reported on the Political Ticker yesterday: Vice President Joe Biden will head to New Hampshire on Thursday to officially file papers for President Obama to compete in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary. While in New Hampshire, Biden will also deliver remarks at Plymouth State University, calling on Congress to pass the portion of the American Jobs Act that provides money to help states avoid laying-off teachers and first responders.

Gee & look who’s blog it is…it’s Richardson’s blog! His name is prominently displayed along the top. Judging from his other headlines and postings, lets just say he’s in the firebagger brigade.

We’ve seen enough of these type of postings: where ppl get on an emotional roller coaster ride only to discover things are not what they seem and all is well in the kingdom. If you want to know what’s up don’t take this guy’s word for it on his blog, contact the Dem party head in NH.

Given how the Obama campaign is so good at keeping everyone informed of even minute deadlines, I say there is obviously more to this that what Richardson has to say.

Yes emoprogs I used the word kingdom! now I want to see your heads explode. ‘kay? ‘kay! he he he

This Robert Trayham, the MSNBC consultant, is an African American openly gay Republican who worked for Santorum for 10 years!!!!!?????? Please, someone, explain this to me. Isn’t that like hitting yourself on the head with a steel bar—–thousands of times?

Anything for a buck!!! Sadly all of “their” blacks are mediocre non-enties who wouldn’t have a chance in hell any place else!!!

They are empty, greedy souls looking to make a buck and catch some fame any way possible and they sell their sorry, mediocre, malicious souls to the devil for a teaspoon of very watered down, 10 days old porridge!!!

House Republicans aren’t looking for another bloody battle on the payroll tax. They don’t think it’s worth stepping into the ring with President Barack Obama during his 2012 crusade against Congress.

But they are willing to fight each other — over policy, strategy and leadership.

A year to the day since Ohio’s John Boehner and 87 eager freshmen took Washington by storm, House Republicans are bruised from battle, irritated with each other and have lost trust in their leadership.

The president whose agenda they came to Washington to stop is vowing to spend the year scoring political points against Republicans now, and they don’t have much leverage against him.

Now, they’re trying to figure out how to revamp their agenda to find much needed political and policy victories in advance of the November election.

But the first few weeks of 2012 are brimming with issues that could trip up the GOP majority.

House Republicans first have to deal with a yearlong payroll tax extension, and they’re already promising to be flexible in the quest to get it out of the way. They’re almost certain to run into fiery conservative lawmakers still angry over the short term bill GOP leaders jammed through Congress before Christmas.

They’ll also have to contend with a growing deficit of trust between the rank and file and leadership — something that’s expected to come to a head at the party’s retreat in Baltimore later this month.

All told, the House Republicans are going into 2012 weaker and more divided than when they took control of the chamber a year ago

Let’s not forget that they have virtually no public support left for their radical agenda. This Republican led congress is hated and people are sick of their antics. More infighting is just what they need to seal their ugly impression in the public mind so I hope they go at it tooth and nail. I wish the Democratic press conference today would get more play because the optics of the Democrats ready to work with the Republicans still on vacation were wonderful.

What’s even more beautiful is that it highlights the fact that Congress really is NOT in session, so the GOP don’t have a leg to stand on with the President’s recess appointment, when it comes to arguing this in front of the American people. They won’t have time to listen about technicalities – they’re not at work, and are taking the month off. That’s a recess.

This is what keeping an eye on the north star and not reacting to every bit of spin and whimsy gets you. I’m with PBO because he’s in it for the long run.

Could you imagine the ammunition they would have now if Pres. Obama reacted the way the emoprogs wanted him to every time something didn’t go his way? Instead 9% congressional approval and in fighting like we are not used to seeing from this party.

Mitt Romney’s tax plan is more complex than those of his current and erstwhile primary competitors. But in broad effect it accomplishes the conservative goal of dramatically lowering taxes on the wealthy at the expense of the lower and middle classes.

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center crunched the numbers — part of a series of analyses the group has done of the GOP candidates’ tax proposals — and found that the plan constitutes a major tax cut for wealthy Americans. But compared to today’s rates, Romney proposes effective tax increases for people making less than $40,000.

hiya TOD family.After they tried some shenanigans once again🙄 the insurance company has covered ALL of mom’s rehab for good😀

I hope everyone is doing well.I saw THIS on TPM and did a little bit of research while I had 10 minutes.
If anyone can send this to the DNC pronto before this lie gets out of hand make my day.Please and THANK YOU😀
I hope my TOD family is doing well.Thank you again Chip for this site.To my TOD family:THANK YOU for fighting for POTUS
Until next time
Fred😉
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VIDEO/FACTS/LINKS: Romney: Obama Wants To Give Jobs To People Who Give Him The Green,Romney’s Spokesman Had To Deny Possible Conflict Of Interest In NLRB Criticisms After It Was Discovered That Romney Held $100K Boeing Stock Holdings

In South Carolina Thursday, Mitt Romney again attacked President Obama over his decision to use recess appointments to fill the NLRB. Romney is on solid ground attacking Obama over the NLRB in South Carolina, where a dispute over a Boeing plant has been a centerpiece of Republican rhetoric here.

Romney said Obama’s decision was about paying off his political allies.

As Mitt Romney steps up his attacks on the National Labor Relations Board for its decision to block Boeing from retaliating against striking workers by building a new plant in South Carolina, a new report from Bloomberg notes that the former Massachusetts governor owns a significant amount of stock in the Seattle-based aerospace corporation.

According to his recently-released personal financial disclosure form, Romney owns up to $100,000 in Boeing stock. Though Romney’s personal assets, which total between $190 million and $250 million, are managed by a blind trust which he does not control, its contents are listed on the Massachusetts Republican’s disclosure forms and are easy for anyone to find with a simple Google search.

Given the potential for a conflict of interest, ThinkProgress spoke with Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom about the Boeing matter. Ferhnstrom denied any possibility of impropriety, telling ThinkProgress that “[Romney’s] personal investments are all in a blind trust. Those are investment decisions that are made by a trustee.” Fehrnstrom sidestepped the fact Romney doesn’t have to manage his own investments to know what’s in them, maintaining simply that there was “no” conflict of interest.

KEYES: One of the companies that [Romney] is actually largely invested in is Boeing. Do you think there’s a conflict of interest, given how outspoken he’s been about the NLRB decision in South Carolina?

FEHRNSTROM: […] His personal investments are all in a blind trust. Those are investment decisions that are made by a trustee.

KEYES: But they’re easily Google-able. He can look up what’s in them.

FEHRNSTROM: What I will say about Boeing and the ruling of the NLRB with respect to the South Carolina plant is that this is another example of how the Obama administration is depressing job creation in this country and discarding the rule of law. […]

KEYES: So no conflict of interest on Romney’s end here?

FEHRNSTROM: No. All of his investments are in a blind trust. He does not personally manage those. Those are managed by a trustee.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, is worth as much as $250 million, about the same as the last time he ran for president.

Romney, 64, founder of the Boston-based venture capital firm Bain Capital LLC, has assets of between $190 million and $250 million, his campaign said today as he filed his personal financial disclosure form with the U.S. Federal Election Commission. His assets are in a blind trust, said Gail Gitcho, a campaign spokeswoman.

Four years ago, Romney disclosed assets of up to $247 million as he spent $45 million of his own money on his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He hasn’t used any of his own money for his current race. He raised $18.3 million through June 30, more than any other Republican candidate.

Romney reported taking in close to $375,000 in speaking fees, including $42,500 from London-based Barclays Plc. (BARC) A Barclays lobbyist, Patrick Durkin, raised $167,800 for Romney’s 2012 campaign, FEC records show. He also received more than $115,000 as a board member of Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott International Inc.; he reported resigning that position in January.

His holdings include between $50,000 and $100,000 apiece in Boeing Co. (BA), Visa Inc. (V), and Bank of America Corp. (BAC)

Romney donated royalties from his book, “No Apologies,” to charity, the campaign said.

They have a nerve – they’re saying that the Boeing decision is due to the Obama administration policies? Well, the truth is that Kansas is complaining because Boeing has received multiple tax cuts to entice them to stay in Kansas, and they’re still leaving – even though they just received billions in deals from their foreign travels with President Obama. So, this meme is totally false about President Obama, and is more an indictment on the GOP policies of tax cuts creating jobs, and even more specifically speaks to the fallacy of Santorum’s economic plan to give tax cuts to manufacturing companies to entice them to create jobs. Both are wrong.

Most GOP who are voting say their primary criteria is who can “beat [President] Obama”. They don’t care about policy or the consequences of their vote. Since 42% of the voting public voted for McCain after he picked dangerous Palin, it does not surprise me that nearly half of those asked won’t admit that the GOP is sabotaging the economy. They’re complicit.

I’ve been working on a project and away from twitter for a few hours but it seems like Santorum has tried to clarify his statement about not wanting to help improve black people’s lives by saying he said “blah” instead of “black”.

I could not believe he tried to disown what he said. One would have to be deaf to not hear that he said “black”. Someone in the audience said that’s right when he said it. Republicans are dishonest liars.

He’s definitely lying. When he first said it, to make sure I’d heard it right, I quickly replayed it and heard it plus saw him mouth the word “blacks.” Now, he’s saying he only uses the term, “African Americans.” Yeah, probably in the sentence that goes something like, “I have friends who are African Americans,” or, Trump-like, “The African Americans like me.”

that is so freakin hilariousssss…… i hope the #Blah tag trends twitter and people continue to slam santorum over that! When I saw the video of him acting out what he believed he had said and people ‘misheard’ him say… he looked so stuuuuuuupid! just wanted karate chop him right in the jugular he looked so stupid! SMDH😆

Rick Santorum alerted Sen. John Ensign in 2009 that the husband of Ensign’s mistress wanted to go public with the affair that ultimately ended the Nevada Republican’s Senate career, according to a Senate ethics committee report released Thursday.

The Iowa caucus could not have ended better for Obama. Whoever the Republican nominate is doesn’t matter as much as how bruised he will be by the end of the primaries. The Democrats love this divide in the Republican Party and will be able to focus more on their Senate races, especially the women candidates.

Women Senatorial candidates will benefit tremendously from the fundraising the Democrats will be able to do from Iowa. Elizabeth Warren especially will receive a blessing in disguise from her former governor’s skeletons from Massachusetts donors. Many believe Iowa does not matter, but it does in terms of explosions (and implosions) of Republican candidates and the fundraising power it gives the Democratic Party it couldn’t matter more.

So we’ve got Newt telling blahs to get a job, and Frothman lying about whether he made comments about blah people being on welfare, and all of it makes me feel pretty BLARGH. I mean, come on! It’s far too early for this kind of dumbassery! Pace yourselves, people. Don’t let all the stupid out before you hit the primary.

And by the way, where do these mythical blah people come from? Blahfrica? The Blah Sea? And does that make me Angry Blah Lady now? Suddenly I’m filled with crushing ennui.